By CNN
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Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu has been given an eight-match suspension after being found guilty of using a racial slur towards an Indigenous Australian rugby league player during a match.
The National Rugby League (NRL) announced on Monday that a judiciary panel had found that Leniu had referred to Brisbane Broncos’ Ezra Mam as a “monkey” in a game in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Leniu was charged with contrary conduct after the two teams faced off in the US and following a complaint from Mam. Leniu pleaded guilty before apologizing to Mam when giving evidence earlier in the hearing.
“I really am sorry to Ezra and his people. I can’t believe I used that word but I really didn’t mean it,” he said.
While giving evidence, Leniu said that he had wanted to travel to apologize to Mam – a Torres Strait Islander – in person, but the Broncos’ five-eighth rejected his approach.
Mam did not attend the hearing, but released a statement which was read out during proceedings.
In the statement, he said he heard Leniu saying “f*ck up, you monkey,” after which he was “so angry and disappointed” that his “mind wasn’t able to focus on rest of the game.”
Asked by Nine News about what happened during the match, Leniu played down the incident as “a little bit of banter.”
During the hear, Leniu said he did not know the significance of his slur to the Indigenous community, an argument the judiciary panel rejected.
Roosters CEO Joe Kelly told reporters after the findings were announced that he doesn’t believe Leniu used the word “in a racially derogatory way.”
“To be clear, the club does not believe that Spencer was putting Ezra down in a racially based way. In no way did he mean to direct this term to Ezra in a racial way.
“Spencer is incredibly remorseful. He’s learned a great deal from the past week and we will ensure we will continue to support him in any way we can and increase his education about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures.”
Kelly said that Leniu and all members of the team would undergo further education about Indigenous and Torres Strait Island cultures, as well as Pasifika – people from the Pacific islands – culture.
CNN has reached out to the Roosters to offer the team and Leniu the chance to comment.
CNN’s Ben Church contributed to this report.
